by Brent, Amy
“Oh, so he knows all the things,” I said.
“So many things I’d rather not tell anyone,” she said, snickering.
“You two seem happy.”
“We are happy. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, Ava. And it hurts that you didn’t think you could call on me to help you with this.”
“I mean, things are still pretty raw. It’s only been a couple weeks.”
“I’m happy for you and Logan.”
“Thanks. I am, too. I’m very excited about moving in with him,” I said.
“He seems excited about it as well. I’ve never seen him this happy before. I’m happy for you both.”
“So, have you and Jeremy done any more wedding planning?” I asked.
“We have. We have our colors.”
“Oh, what are they?”
“Blue, crimson, and silver.”
“That’s an interesting combination.”
“It’s actually the color scheme for the club we’re opening up together.”
“What?”
Camilla giggled as she polished off her wine.
“You two are opening a club together?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m opening a club and he’s the main investor.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I really am. I found this piece of property on the main drag near where all his clubs are. It’s small but set up really nicely. It’s got a small kitchen for food and a bar area. A stage as well as a small dance floor. It won’t be a strip club, but I figured Manhattan could use a good upscale drag club.”
“Oh my gosh. You putting on drag shows. I can see that,” I said.
“I told Jeremy about it on a whim, and he really liked my idea. It would be right in the middle of all the popular clubs, and he thinks it would get a lot of foot traffic. He said he’d been looking at purchasing it, but he didn’t quite know what to do with the small space. So, we decided that I’m going to open my own club to start my own business venture, and he’d fund it. Sixty percent me, forty percent him.”
“That is so awesome, Camilla. I never dreamed you’d open a place of your own. I’m not going to lie.”
“I didn’t either. I was perfectly content being a bartender. But it just sort of hit me when I walked in, you know?”
“And when you know, you know,” I said.
“Cheers to that.”
We knocked our glasses together again before I finished off my wine.
“Want some more?” Camilla asked.
“Might as well finish the bottle. It gives us an excuse not to haul any more boxes.”
“Here, here.”
Camilla emptied the wine bottle into our glasses before we turned our eyes back to one another.
“I’m really happy for you,” I said.
“And I’m genuinely happy for you, Ava. I really am. You and Logan moving in together? It’s just picture perfect for you two. I know you’ve wanted something like this for a very long time, and that it was something you thought your ex took away from you. But look at you now: in love, moving in with him, and starting a new life you can be proud of.”
“Are we still friends, Camilla?”
She reached her arm out and wrapped it around my neck before pulling me into a hug.
“We’ll always be friends, Ava, no matter what.”
I wrapped her up in a hug as we shed some tears. It felt so good to have her back in my life, and the idea that the four of us could all get along one of these days made me hope for the future and all it had to offer. I pulled away and wiped at my eyes, then laughed with Camilla as she did the same. Raising our glasses, we shared one more toast for our futures to come, then chugged back our wine as quickly as we could.
“Should we go relieve the boys?” she asked.
“Can either of us drive?” I asked.
“I forget you’re a lightweight. Come on, I’ve got this.”
Camilla drove me back to Logan’s place, and we caught the guys just as they were coming out of the condominium complex. I got out of the car and ran into Logan’s arms, embracing his sweating body. I kissed him deeply, pressing my tongue through his lips to taste the whole of him. He settled me down on my feet and cupped the back of my head, dipping me backward and not wasting a second of our time together.
“I take it things went well?” he murmured.
I released the kiss and giggled as I nodded.
“You guys got anything else?” Jeremy asked.
“Nope. That’s it,” Logan said.
“Then the two of us are going to get out of here so you guys can enjoy your time together. Ava? Lunch soon?” Camilla asked.
“Oh, yes. Shoot me a text and we’ll see about meeting up somewhere,” I said.
“Does this mean we have to plan something?” Jeremy asked.
“Do you drink whiskey?” Logan asked.
“I drink anything,” Jeremy said.
“Then I think you’d enjoy meeting my friend Hunter,” Logan said, grinning.
The four of us said our good-byes, then waved Camilla and Jeremy off. Then Logan took my hand and led me up to my new place. Our place. The place we would share together. I walked in and looked over the sea of boxes, and an exhaustion unlike any other settled into my bones.
“Unpacking tomorrow?” I asked.
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day,” Logan said.
We collapsed on the couch, and I made Logan order pizza. He wanted to cook for us, but it had been too long of a day. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him, snuggle close, and wait for someone to bring us food that had already been prepared. I threw my legs over his lap after he placed the order. Then he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.
“How does it feel?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
“You know, having all your stuff here. How does it feel?”
“It feels like I’m home,” I said.
“You know if there’s anything you want to change, all you have to do it tell me.”
“And like I said a dozen times before, there’s nothing I want to change. I like your place. I like the leather and the mahogany floors and the fuzzy rugs. I like the color schemes and how much natural light you’ve got pouring in. It’s perfect.”
“It’s perfect for us,” he said.
I tilted my head up and captured his lips as his arms cradled me.
“You still okay with all this?” I asked.
“Why wouldn't I be?”
“I don’t know. Do people get cold feet when moving in together?”
“If they’re supposed to, then I skipped a step, because all this feels right.”
“Good, because it feels that way with me as well.”
“Oh, while you were gone, I cleaned out some closet and drawer space for you in the bedroom.”
“Aww, you made room for me,” I said.
“Where did you think you were going to put your clothes?”
“In another dresser we bought?”
“No, no, no. You have your own space in the closet and dresser that’s already here. And you have your own sink in the bathroom, courtesy of having a double vanity.”
“Ooooh, I’m livin’ the fancy life now.”
“You also have your own shelf in the refrigerator. Groceries aren’t included in rent.”
I threw my head back and laughed as his lips came down on my neck. He kissed me repeatedly, turning my laughter into moans. He settled my back on the couch, and I spread my legs for him, accommodating his sweating body as his hands ventured over my skin.
“The pizza, Logan. It’ll be here soon,” I said breathlessly.
“Don’t worry. Just giving you a taste,” he said.
He dipped his tongue into my belly button, making my toes curl in my tennis shoes. He crawled up my body and settled on top of me, his eyes dancing between mine. I reached up and cupped his cheek, stroked his skin with my thumb. I brought him in for a kiss, unable to contain myself. I wanted t
o kiss all of him, touch all of him, appreciate all of him for as long as I could. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into my body, his face dropping into the crook of my neck.
“I love you, Logan.”
He shifted against my body before rising, taking me with him and setting me in his lap.
“I love you too, Ava.”
“Should we watch a movie with our pizza?”
“I think we should change out of our sweaty clothes first.”
“Do you remember where you put my suitcase?” I asked.
Logan paused, and I threw my head back and laughed.
“You can wear my shirt?” he asked.
He stood up and gripped my ass, holding me close to him as he led us toward his bedroom. Our bedroom.
“Sounds like a plan to me. Just make sure it’s a comfy one.”
Epilogue
Logan
One Year Later
“Logan!”
I buried my laughter and went running down the hallway to try to get away from Ava as she woke up.
“I’m going to kill you!” she exclaimed.
“Happy one-year anniversary, baby!”
I heard her pulling all the sticky notes off her body as she cussed and made her way into the bathroom. If she thought that was annoying, then she was going to be pissed when she found—
“Logan! Damn it! That was the last of my lipstick!”
I threw my head back and laughed as I started on breakfast.
“But the message on the bathroom mirror is so sweet!” I exclaimed.
“Are you going to buy me new lipstick?” she asked.
I turned my head toward her and took stock. She still had sticky notes in her hair, ones that said everything from “I love you” to “you’re my one and only” to “you’re absolutely beautiful” and more. I’d covered her in them before she’d woken up. Over the past couple months, she’d been sleeping heavier than usual and longer than usual. So, I had decided to use it to my advantage.
I had full day of romantic activities planned for us, but not before I got on her nerves a little bit.
“You better be cooking something good for breakfast,” she said.
“I promise it’ll be the best breakfast you’ve ever tasted.”
“Good. I’m going to go take a shower. Is there anything I should know before I walk in?”
I rolled my lips over my teeth, and she groaned.
“Why did I move in with you again?”
“Because you love me and cherish me and I dick you down really well,” I said.
“I’ll concur with the last one for now,” she said.
I threw my head back in laughter as she retreated to the bathroom. I scrambled up some eggs and tossed in some vegetables, then added salt and pepper to taste. I prepared our plates with eggs, toast and jam, and then cooked up some pancakes just in case she wanted some. Her palette had changed a little bit. The usual foods I made for her were somehow turning her stomach these days. I pulled out some sauces from the refrigerator and took out the orange juice, then made a pot of coffee just in case she wanted some.
She’d been thumbing her nose at it lately, but I wanted to have it just in case she wanted it this morning.
“Logan! You’re so dead!”
My shoulders shook with laughter as Ava came marching down the hallway.
“Really? You tie-dyed ‘I love you’ into my favorite towel?” she asked.
“I mean, it’s true.”
“It’s my favorite towel!”
“And now it can be your tie-dyed favorite towel.”
“If I wasn’t so tired, I’d kill you. I would.”
“Happy anniversary to you, too, love.”
“Aren’t you supposed to make me happy on our one-year anniversary?”
Just wait until tonight, sweetheart.
“You mean you’re not happy now?” I asked.
“Screw you, Foster!”
We sat down and enjoyed breakfast like we did every morning. No matter what, I always made sure to have something ready for her to grab. On the weekends, I made it a point to sit down and enjoy it with her. But during the week, sometimes it was hit and miss. I worked late and slept in, or she had to leave early for a meeting. No matter what, though, I always made sure she had breakfast.
I always made sure she had what she wanted.
“Are you excited about tonight?” I asked.
“If this morning is any indication, I think I need to come ready to defend my right to live,” Ava said.
“I promise, there are no more pranks involved.”
“Had I known you were such a prankster, I would’ve second-guessed this whole moving in thing.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
Her eyes met mine before a smile crossed her cheeks. “You really get on my nerves with it sometimes,” she said.
“But it does make you laugh.”
Her smile turned into a giggle as she shook her head. “How many Post-It notes did you put on my body?” she asked.
“Two hundred and thirty-three,” I said.
“How did I not feel any of that?”
“I don’t know, but whatever’s got you sleeping so hard, keep it up.”
Something flashed behind her eyes, and I wondered what it was. But as quickly as it had surfaced, it vanished. It didn’t matter, though. The only thing that mattered was the dinner tonight. I didn’t care what we did, so long as we got to our dinner reservations by seven that evening.
The day was spent lounging around. Ava and I curled up and watched a movie. I went to lay down with her while she took a nap. I woke her up to the feel of my cock filling her body, and she rewarded me with the feel of her pussy coming around my dick. I made love to her more times than I could count that day. We rolled around in bed and made love straight through lunch. We changed the sheets before soiling a completely separate set beyond recognition. I took her in the shower, against the wall, on the bedroom floor, in the living room, on the kitchen table. Every place I could christen with her gorgeous body, I did.
By the time we went out to dinner, we had worked up quite an appetite.
“So, there’s something I need to tell you,” Ava said.
I looked up from my steak and connected my eyes with hers.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Before I do, I just want to say that whatever we decide, I’m okay with it.”
“Ava, what’s going on?”
“Just don’t be upset, okay? I’m scared you’re going to be upset.”
I dropped my silverware and immediately took her trembling hand.
“I could never be mad at you, Ava. Not really. What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t mean to scare you. I just—”
She pulled her hand away, and the romantic evening I had planned for us shot right out the window. She picked up her purse and settled it into her lap. She rummaged around in it before she pulled out something that looked like a picture. Only it was on glossy paper. She set it on the table and slid it over to me, and the second my eyes landed on it, they bulged.
Holy shit. It was an ultrasound picture.
“Ava?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Logan. I know we weren’t trying, and I’ve been on birth control these past few months. I don’t know what happened, honestly. I started feeling nauseous and always tired at work, and it was actually my boss who mentioned something about it. He made me go to the doctor and I had a blood test done, and this ultrasound followed pretty soon after.”
I picked up the picture as my jaw dropped to the floor.
“You’re pregnant?” I asked.
“I’m only, like, two months along. I’m not far. It’s pretty recent. And if you aren’t ready to be a father, I completely understand.”
My heart stopped in my chest as her words graced my ears.
“You were scared to tell me this?” I asked.
“I didn’t want you to be upset. I�
�m sorry. And we’re out at this wonderful restaurant and I knew you’d start asking questions when you noticed I wasn’t eating my food.”
“Oh my gosh. You don’t like the food.”
“I’m just feeling a little—icky.”
“Holy shit. Your exhaustion. Your aversion to your favorite foods. Wait, you’re feeling nauseous? We need to get you out of here. What do you want to eat? We can go anywhere. Or we can go home. I can cook you something. Do you want soup? They’ve got soup here.”
I launched out of my chair and rushed to her side, then pulled her into a hug.
“Logan, slow down. It’s okay.”
“We’re going to have a baby,” I whispered.
“What?” she asked.
I picked her up out of her seat and swung her around as a smile crossed my cheeks.
“I’m going to be a father!” I exclaimed.
People in the restaurant started to applaud as Ava giggled into my neck.
“So you’re not upset?” she asked.
I settled her down on her feet and knew there was only one proper response to that question. I reached into my pocket and wrapped my fingers around the ring box, then pulled it out and dropped to my knee. People in the restaurant gasped as Ava’s eyes widened, and I cracked open the box before I held it up to her. Tears crested her eyes. A smile unlike any other spread across my face. I took her left hand and brought it to my lips to kiss, then looked into her eyes.
“Ava Leary, you’re everything to me. You’re my best friend, my trusted partner, my better half. And now you’re the mother of my child. I could never be upset about starting a family with you. In fact, a family with you is what I’ve wanted since the day you moved in.”
“It is?” she asked.
“It is, my love. I want a family with you. A home with you, a future with you, a life with you. I want to raise our children at your side and fall asleep next to you all the days of my life. You’ve forever changed my world, Ava, and I can’t imagine a second of it without you here. Ava Leary, will you marry me?”
The whole restaurant hung on baited breath as a smile spread across Ava’s cheeks.
“Yes, Logan. Of course I’ll marry you!”
I shot up from my feet as the restaurant erupted into applause. I scooped her into my arms and kissed her furiously, backing her hips against the table. She smiled against me, giggling as I slid the ring out of the box and onto her finger. The diamond shone against her tanned skin, and before I knew it, I had dropped back to my knees and pulled her stomach to my lips. I kissed the place where our child was growing over and over again as the restaurant continued to clap for us. I wrapped my arms around her body and held her stomach to my cheek, imagining what our child would look like.
